Is Luke Bryan’s bar in danger of being sued following Riley Strain’s death?

On Friday, March 22, 2024, the body of college student Riley Strain was recovered from the Cumberland River in West Nashville. The tragic end of the missing person case is not the story’s final chapter, as Luke Bryan’s bar is still under investigation.

On March 8, during a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, Strain stopped by Luke’s 32 Bridge, a bar belonging to country singer Luke Bryan. Security personnel escorted the young man out of the establishment around 9:45pm. He was last seen at 9:52pm on Gay Street, where he was briefly captured by the bodycam of a police officer responding to a vehicle burglary call.

Since preliminary analysis of Strain’s body discards the possibility of foul play, it’s likely the college student stumbled into the river and drowned, which could be the awful consequence of having drunk too much. If that’s the case, 32 Bridge might face some legal repercussions.

Is Luke Bryan’s bar responsible for Riley Strain’s death?

While there is no legal procedure to determine what private establishments should do with inebriated people, bars are strictly forbidden from serving clients who already look like they have had too much to drink. Suppose a bar chooses to provide alcoholic beverages to someone who’s already visibly drunk. In that case, the company can be held responsible for any accident or incident involving that person under the effects of alcohol. That’s why Luke’s 32 Bridge is currently under investigation by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC).

In a security video released by the Nashville police department, Bryan stumbles and has trouble walking straight while being escorted out of Luke’s 32 Bridge. The bar has confirmed the young man’s altered state of mind in a public statement: “Our security team made a decision based on our conduct standards to escort him from the venue.” If Strain was not following Luke’s 32 Bridge’s code of conduct, that might be because he was already too drunk.

In their official statement, the establishment reveals Strain only ordered a single alcoholic beverage and two bottles of water. What is unclear is if the young man presented signs of extreme intoxication before getting a new drink. If that’s the case, Luke’s 32 Bridge should have refrained from serving Strain alcohol, and the company could be indirectly responsible for the young man’s demise.

The case of Riley Strain’s death is still developing. In the following days, Nashville’s Police Department will conduct an autopsy on the young man’s body to determine if excessive alcohol or other drugs might be responsible for his drowning in the river.